


Gabriel

by TheOfficialKai517



Category: The Invisible Library - Genevieve Cogman
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-14 00:35:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 17,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20591720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOfficialKai517/pseuds/TheOfficialKai517
Summary: Stories following the life of young Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters.





	1. Gabriel

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to do this for some time now, posting all of my one-shots about Gabe here separately. This won't stop them from being posted in "The Untold Tales," but I thought it would be nice to have a sense of chronological order with him.
> 
> **WILL REFORMAT LATER**

Irene closed her book, looking down at Gabriel. His small hands were clenched in little fists beside his face, and he looked extremely comfortable.

It had nearly been a week since he ('he' being, in full, Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters) had been born-- though, in all honesty, it simultaneously felt like it had been a much longer and much shorter time since then-- and, while he had never actually met Kai, Gabe, as far as Irene could tell, was very much like his father: he had the same blue coloration, and he had similar facial expressions and temperaments.

And Kai didn't even know. He wasn't even aware that Gabe existed... And Irene was unsure of when she'd see Kai again.

There was a sharp knock at the door, one Irene immediately recognized as Vale's. "Winters! Open up!"

Irene had to check on Gabriel, making sure that he wouldn't freak out due to the sudden noise. When she finally decided that they were good to go on that front, she stood up in order to get the door for her friend.

Vale hardly wasted a moment. As soon as Irene opened the door for him, he swept inside, removing his boots, hat, and coat, leaving them all on or by the hat stand before marching right inside and promptly taking a seat on the couch next to Gabe's cradle.

"May I, Winters?"

Vale was looking from Irene to Gabe, the full question spelled out in his eyes: may I hold him?

Irene gave a nod in his direction before quickly busying herself with some basic cleaning around the room. "What brings you this way, Vale?"

Of course, Vale didn't need a reason to stop by her place, and they both knew that. She and Vale had done plenty of visiting back and forth over the years, and especially more so over the past few months, but, for whatever reason, they both always kept up the formalities, even if only for a few minutes.

The Great Detective of this London had been there for her from the very beginning-- granted, he had been wary of her when they first met, but they had grown closer as friends over the years-- and had been a major blessing when Irene was expecting Gabe. (And, Irene noted, Vale seemed to be extremely fond of little Gabriel, which was pretty nice on several fronts).

"Ah, yes," Vale sighed, focusing his attention on Irene, "that matter of business."

Irene froze where she was, quirking an eyebrow. "There's actually something that's going on? You're not just here to visit?"

"Don't worry, Winters," Vale assured her, "your assistance isn't needed for a case of anything... Dangerous. But, yes, to an extent there is something going on, but it's a bit more... Personal in nature."

"Personal?"

By now, Vale had Irene's full attention. She placed the pile of books she had been holding on the small table in front of the couch, taking a seat in the chair opposite Vale's. She leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued.

"Indeed, Winters. I just received word from Strongrock--"

"You've heard from Kai?"

"Yes," Vale snapped, tired of being interrupted, "now, please let me continue."

Irene wanted to continue on that train of thought alone-- why had Kai written to Vale instead of her?-- but she allowed herself to relax back against the chair and nod.

"I received word from Strongrock only last night, far too late for it to be sensible to come over here and discuss it with you," Vale began again, returning his attention to a (now) wide-awake (but still tired-looking) Gabe, "it was fairly similar to all of the other letters he's written in the past, except..."

Gabe began to wriggle around-- only a little bit, but enough to divert Vale's attention from what he had been saying. He quickly readjusted the infant in his arms, murmuring some sort of nonsense as he did so. As much as Irene enjoyed watching Vale interacting with her son, though, she was feeling terribly uninformed at the moment.

"And?" she prompted.

His sharp inhale sounded almost exactly like one of Kai's hisses. "I was just getting to that, Winters. Strongrock said that he was planning on returning here. And really rather soon, in fact."

Kai.

Kai was coming back.

"When?"

Almost as if on cue, there was yet another knock at the door to the lodgings. Vale shot a quick glance at Irene.

"I believe that would be him."

Returning his attention yet again to Gabe-- Irene couldn't fault Vale for trying to get in all the time he possibly could with Gabe; both he and Irene knew that, once Kai saw his son, it would be fairly difficult to get the small infant back from him-- Vale gave an explicit, yet unspoken order: go and get the door, Winters.

Irene considered using the Language to unlock and open the door, just to spite Vale. But (a) she couldn't actually be certain just who was on the other side of the door, (b) while it wasn't terribly hard to invoke the Language in this alternate, she was far too tired to try it now, and (c) she didn't want to raise her voice so that it carried from where she sat to the door. It would only disturb Gabe, and she knew that disrupting his sleep-like stupor would end horribly. (Being as young as he was, Gabe wasn't terribly connected to water, not as much as Kai was, but he had previously doused some rather important papers with water from the washbasin; Irene didn't need a repeat of that disaster).

Irene stood up with a defeated sigh, slowly making her way over to the door. She opened it and, as Vale had predicted, there stood Kai.

"Irene," he said, his voice soft and quiet, "hey."

She already had her arms around his neck, raising herself slightly on her toes in order to kiss him. He returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and holding her closer to him. Irene smiled to herself, noting how good, how natural it felt to be in his arms once again. The moment could've lasted forever...

Except it didn't.

"Strongrock!" Vale called jovially, "welcome back."

Kai separated from the kiss, shooting a wistful glance in Irene's direction before entering the lodgings... And freezing as-- Irene assumed, at least-- his gaze fell on little Gabriel in Vale's arms.

"Irene?" Kai asked tentatively, not even bothering to look away from Gabe, "what's going on here?"

Irene took a deep breath in, folding her hands in front of her in an attempt to look better-prepared for this very moment.

She wasn't. Not one bit.

"Kai... Meet Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters," she began, trying to swallow those pointless nerves of hers, "our... Our son."

Silence filled the room as Kai began to process what he had just been told. He clenched and unclenched his hands into fists, clear proof that he was suppressing several urges at once, including but not limited to physically lashing out at something or someone. But still, he managed to keep himself looking fairly calm and collected.

"Kai?"

At the same moment, Vale asked, "Strongrock? Are you okay?"

Kai nodded numbly, taking a seat in his favorite armchair. Apparently, this was not how he had imagined his homecoming... And the way he was currently taking it kind of scared Irene.

Perhaps he felt that it was a dubious circumstance, and he had every right to think so. He went away for a few months, only to come back and find Irene and a baby... What didn't sound doubtful about that?

"Kai, I swear to you that this boy is our son," Irene said softly, using the Language to try and prove her point, "he is of my flesh and blood... And yours."

Kai's expression softened a little. It was amazing, the things that the Language could do. Though it did sting that he didn't believe her until she used it.

Vale glanced at his watch and paled. "Winters, Strongrock, my deepest apologies. But I really must get going."

"Where are you off to?" Kai asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Irene recognized the fact that Vale was bluffing-- whether it was because he felt awkward and incompetent now that Kai was there, or because he was feeling generous enough to give the small family some time together, she didn't know-- and leaned forward, too, wanting to hear every detail of a story spun by Vale.

"I've got a meeting to attend to," Vale replied, keeping his attention on Gabe-- smart move, Irene noted, you can't break eye contact when your attention's already focused on the baby-- as he spoke, "with Inspector Singh. Liechtenstein's at large... Again."

Irene bit back a laugh. In all the time that she'd been in this London, Liechtenstein had hardly been a terrible problem. In fact, the only major problems she could recall with Liechtenstein were her first book heist here in B-395 and Lord Silver himself.

Kai apparently picked up on that, too-- and, knowing Vale, he probably knew how terrible his excuse had been, too-- because he furrowed his eyebrows and looked to be deep in thought. But both Irene and Kai didn't call his bluff. Instead, they simply nodded, permitting Vale to go on his way. The detective stood, easily depositing Gabriel into Kai's arms before anything else could be said, then making his way to the door.

"It was a pleasure seeing you today," he announced, "all three of you. But for now, I must bid you adieu."

Irene nodded. "We'll see you later, Vale."

With that, Vale left the lodgings, heading more in the direction of his home than some potential rendezvous point.

Irene turned to look at Kai and was pleased to see that he was gazing at Gabe rapturously. It took a surprisingly short time for him to grow even slightly attached to Gabriel, and it warmed Irene's heart. She had never seen such a tender expression on Kai's face before, and she seriously wished that she could capture this moment and live in it forever.

But she couldn't.

Perhaps that's part of what life is, she pondered, perhaps it's about living in the now, and taking what you can get when you can get it.

And she was planning to live in this moment for as long as she could.

Kai gazed down at his son, smiling a little. This was his son... His little boy.

Irene definitely hadn't been lying about the kid's paternity. He could sense Gabriel's power, even at less than a week old. And, yes, there was clearly a slight blue coloration to him.

He had Irene's dark brown hair, with hints of Kai's own dark blue. But aside from the hair, most of Gabe's looks came from Kai.

Kai wished-- oh, how he wished!-- that he had known. He wished that he had known that Irene was pregnant in the first place, that he knew that Gabe existed even before he had returned to Vale's London.

He wished that he could've been there for her... For them.

But wishes and dreams didn't always come true, even if you were a dragon prince.

"What matters is that you're here now," Irene had said earlier, "even if it's only for a short time; as long as you know about Gabe now... He is family... Ours."

Kai had always been a family-oriented man, even if it meant taking sides with his father instead of Irene. Irene was correct... She and Gabe were his family now. Things were about to change... Hopefully for the better.

Looking at his small son, Kai felt something that he hadn't genuinely felt in what seemed like ages: he felt hope. The hope that, perhaps, he and Irene could settle down. That maybe Gabe was the key to possibly having a happy ending, one he got to spend with Irene. Of course, they'd still have obligations-- the Library was a life-long commitment, and being born a dragon didn't always come in handy-- but still... There was a chance that they could live a relatively normal life together, raising Gabriel like any ordinary parents would go about raising an ordinary child.

That could never work, the part of his mind that exhibited common sense reminded him, you're a dragon. She's a Librarian. Not only is she supposed to remain neutral; she was never even meant to have Gabe in the first place...

"Damn it," he muttered, studying Gabriel once again.

How stupid could he have been?

Gabe wasn't supposed to even exist, let alone... Let alone anything. And just how much trouble would he and Irene be in if anyone else found out?

Gabe opened his eyes, gazing sleepily up at his father. Kai couldn't help it; he smiled a little, a sudden overwhelming pride coming over him. He couldn't explain it, even if he tried. But, yes, there was definitely something about the way that Gabe looked at him that made Kai want nothing more than to hold on to him forever, and to give him nothing but the best.

His best.

"Kai?"

Irene had entered the room so quietly, he had been completely unaware that she was even there. But-- thankfully-- he didn't startle too much. (Irene probably would've had a fit if he had startled, reprimanding him for jumping-- even slightly-- while holding Gabe in his arms).

"Irene."

Kai couldn't think of much else to say. Something such as "I missed you" would've normally sufficed, but now it seemed to be something rather ingenuine and uncaring. And to speak of Gabe and Gabe alone might give Irene the wrong idea... That he only cared for his son and not her.

Thankfully, none of that seemed to matter. Not to Irene, at least. She made her way across the room to where he was sitting and took a seat next to him, curling her legs up underneath her and leaning her head on his shoulder. Gabe's eyes lit up-- Kai knew that he probably couldn't see in full detail yet, being as young as he was; but perhaps he could sense something about Irene's presence-- and he smiled a little.

"I meant to tell you about him earlier," Irene murmured, "I didn't want to keep you in the dark. But... I didn't know where you were. I'm not like you; I can't focus on one person and suddenly locate them."

Kai allowed himself a chuckle, wrapping one arm around Irene. "It is kind of my specialty."

"Do you think... Do you think that Gabe will get that talent, too?" Irene whispered suddenly, "we've already had a few 'controlling-water' incidents--"

"Ooh," Kai winced, "that sucks."

"That's one way of putting it," Irene agreed, "but... How much do you think he's inherited from your side?"

"As much as I would love to give you an answer, Irene, there isn't any way to know that sort of thing. There's just no telling just how much he'll pick up from either of us."

"Great," she muttered, "so I've got that to worry about now."

Kai brushed a light kiss to her forehead. "We do."

Irene smiled a little, moving closer to Kai. She wasn't the only one who wanted that sort of future for her son, a future where both of his parents were present-- or as present as they could be, at least-- and they could all be a whole family...

Of course, she wasn't discounting the other obligations that she and Kai held. But it wasn't impossible... She hoped.

"So... Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters."

The way Kai said it, Irene could tell that it was a question disguised as a statement. But exactly which question he was asking, she had no clue.

So she decided to start from the beginning. "Not even three days after you left, I found out about him. I didn't exactly know what to think or feel about that discovery, but... You can easily see my decisions," she gestured to Gabe, "I gave him my all over the past few months-- and Vale helped, too-- and then... Five days ago now, there he was."

"There he was," Kai murmured, intently studying his son's tiny face, the small details that somehow imitated Kai's own yet followed a blueprint of their very own as well, "why do I feel that it wasn't as simple as you are suggesting that it was?"

Irene frowned, clearly unwilling to speak much on the subject. "Because it wasn't. Not one bit."

Kai winced again. "Ooh..."

Gabe coughed suddenly, repositioning himself in Kai's arms in order to become more comfortable. Irene had to suppress a laugh. It was almost as if Gabe was admitting that he'd been giving Irene at least a little hell, and he wasn't ashamed of doing so.

Irene decided to follow her son's lead, readjusting herself so that she was snuggled closely against Kai. She was tired; she'd had quite a long day, and the sun was setting. It was time for her to get some well-deserved rest. Besides, Kai was there to watch after Gabe now. She didn't have to worry.

"I love you."

Kai smiled down at her, leaning to press another light kiss to her forehead. "I love you, too, Irene."


	2. Footsteps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Gabe's eighteen, the big question on everyone's mind is... 'Whose footsteps will he follow in?'

Gabriel had lived a comparatively simple life. Granted, his mother was a Librarian, everyone on his father's side was a dragon, and the man who was his honorary uncle happened to be a Great Detective who had a bit of Fae blood running in his veins. But who said that all families had to be 'normal'?

For eighteen years, Gabe had lived in London, or at least a version of it, with his parents and Vale-- though his mother, Irene, often went on missions for the Library and his father, Kai, occasionally had to serve in the court of some dragon king or other-- and, somehow, he managed. Yes, at times some high-chaos Fae activity would occur, causing a sudden (and often painful) headache to flare up, but if the stories were true, the tales of his father's ability to hold up in worlds where the chaos levels were significantly higher-- and even if Kai had been 'just barely' holding up, at least he was holding up at all-- then Gabe would do all that he possibly could to fight it off. But that didn't mean that he was anti-Fae or anything; quite the opposite, in fact. He was fairly middle-ground, though there were some people on both sides that he wasn't overly fond of.

But being who he was raised a lot of questions, and not just for the people who knew him outside of his family. What were the rules that applied to him, being half-dragon, half-human? Why was he being raised by both his mother and father-- and, to an extent, Vale-- instead of being raised in the courts of a dragon king by his father alone? And, the biggest question of them all: whose footsteps would he follow in?

That question had been the topic of many conversations that had started long ago, before Gabe could even speak his own mind. While his parents had been clear on their stance-- that Gabe had a mind of his own and plenty of time to decide, and they wouldn't try to sway him one way or another-- people on all sides seemed adamant about convincing him to follow either Irene or Kai.

And now that Gabriel was eighteen years old-- clearly old enough to make up his own mind, and old enough to strike out on his own if he so chose-- the pressure was clearly building up, enclosing Gabe on all sides and presenting itself as an unanswered question: What are you going to do with your life?

And the answer was sadly obvious: I don't know.

"Have you any plans, Gabe?"

Gabe looked at Vale, unhappy with being interrupted from his thoughts. "I beg your pardon?"

"Have you any plans?" Vale repeated himself, sounding slightly impatient, "seeing as you are nearly finished with your schooling, it is only appropriate that you began to at least consider where you are going with your life."

Gabe set down the paperwork he had been helping Vale sort through, fixing the detective with a glare. "You know that I don't have any interest in making any such decisions; not at the moment, at least."

Vale returned Gabe's glare with one of his own. "Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters."

Gabe flinched at the sound of his full name, spoken sharply by his uncle. His full name... A name chosen for him by his mother-- though, if the stories were true, then both parts of his last name were completely his father's idea-- when he had been a newborn.

"Peregrine Vale."

His retort was weak, and he knew that. But, for whatever reason, it felt nicer to have a retort-- any retort-- to use against his uncle.

"Surely you must realize, Gabriel," Vale began again, a questioning eyebrow raised, "that, while it is simpler to let go of all duty and responsibility, it is also extremely important that you decide what you do with your life. And sooner rather than later."

Gabe never enjoyed being reprimanded, especially not by his uncle. And on a topic that he generally tried to avoid... Vale was going to regret asking that question of him.

Of course, this was how things went when both of Gabe's parents were away at the same time: Gabe would be allowed to help Vale-- so long as he had finished his work for school beforehand, that is-- and, of course, his uncle would probe him with questions that he didn't want to hear. This always ended with Gabe being as excited as he possibly could be when his parents returned. And how he wished that they were there at that moment. Not that he was solely dependent on his mother and father-- he was perfectly capable of handling himself-- but... It wouldn't be too bad to have his parents there, backing him up.

"Mr. Vale," Vale's housekeeper interrupted their stare-down, "Mr. Strongrock and Miss Winters are here."

Gabe's head shot up. "Mom and Dad are back?"

Vale nodded to his housekeeper. "Well, show them up!"

"And they're with some of Gabriel's friends," she added quickly, "so you might want to go down yourself, young man."

Gabe got to his feet. "Got it. I'll send Mom and Dad up, Uncle Vale."

At Vale's nod, Gabe ran past the housekeeper and down the stairs. There were five people gathered in the main living room downstairs: his parents were standing next to the door, and three of his friends-- Connor, Miles, and Grace-- had made themselves at home on Vale's couch.

Gabe went over to his parents first, hugging his mother and bowing to his father. "Mom, Dad, welcome back. Uncle Vale's upstairs."

Kai nodded, taking off up the stairs without another word. Irene hung back for a moment, though, waiting until Kai was gone before addressing her son.

"I know you're eighteen," she began, "but I still have to ask: were you good for Vale?"

"Mom, you and Dad were gone for one day," Gabe protested, "it's not like I was given the proper amount of time to push him over the edge or anything."

Irene gave him a disapproving glare, and he hurried to fix what he'd just said.

"Not that I'd ever do that normally," he amended, "but even if I did, I wouldn't have had the chance, given how quick you and Dad were."

Irene nodded firmly. "Good. You know that he doesn't like insubordination on any part."

Gabe nodded in agreement before studying his mother. She looked like she had hardly aged a day since he had last seen her-- and she only looked to be a few years older than she did many years ago, even before he had been born-- though, admittedly, the outfit added something to that.

The alternate she just came from must've been extremely modern, Gabe decided, nobody here would even dream of such an outfit.

Maybe the unnameable quality was some sort of youth that came with wearing proper attire for a time that had not yet come to pass.

Either way, Irene was in jeans and a dark purple tank-top, her dark brown hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. On her feet, she wore sneakers that perfectly matched her tank-top. Gabe could easily envision what sort of world this outfit would belong in-- high-technology, low-magic, with little to no chaos infestation-- and he could easily imagine his mother blending in perfectly, another face in the crowds of people, half of whom would be too occupied with their devices to even pay attention to the strange new person in their midst.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Irene murmured, "I should probably go see Vale before he or your father get impatient."

Gabe nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later, Mom."

Irene smiled, kissing his cheek-- Gabe hadn't taken terribly long in sprouting up to her superior height, forcing her to quickly give up on top-of-the-head or forehead kisses-- before heading up the stairs.

"I love you, Gabe."

"I love you too, Mom."

With that, Irene squared her shoulders and entered into Vale's private study.

"Do her outfits get more bizarre with time?" Miles asked, breaking the silence, "or is it just me?"

Connor blinked. "I was going to point out the fact that we've only seen her about five times in the past ten years, though she hardly looks like she's aged a day."

Gabe frowned, joining the small circle his friends formed in Vale's living room. He didn't like it when the boys brought up his parents... When they brought them up like this, at least. Often, Connor and Miles had plenty of jabs to throw-- especially at Irene-- and they weren't afraid to do so, even in front of Gabe himself.

"And your father," Miles added to Gabe, "he doesn't look that much older, either. Has he really got everything in such order, to the extent that..."

Gabe growled, giving Miles his deadliest glare. Miles was Fae, and having a Fae poke fun at his father's heritage...

"Miles, stop it," Grace interrupted, "don't you see how much you're angering Gabe?"

Gabe smiled a little. Grace was the newest addition to their little group of friends, but definitely his favorite... By far. She was also Fae, though her main archetype was that of peace-keeper and caretaker. She was quiet for the most part, unless a disagreement of any sort came up. And then her voice was the loudest of them all.

Grace was a very beautiful young woman, though not in the flashy way that most Fae-- or even his mother's colleague Bradamant-- tended to take on. Her long, wavy hair was a chestnut brown, but her eyes were a piercing blue. There were freckles scattered across her nose that spread even further, decorating her upper cheekbones. Her skin was lightly tanned, and she was petite, not even five feet tall.

Miles shut his mouth, though his eyes were still glaring daggers at Gabe. Gabe shot a grateful glance in Grace's direction, but she didn't notice. Instead, she was simply nodding in satisfaction.

"Good," Grace said, "thank you, Miles."

"Why are you here?" Gabe asked suddenly, desperate to get to the point, "all three of you, that is."

Connor gave one of those smug smirks of his before replying, "We've been asked to help you decide."

"Decide?" Gabe asked, raising an eyebrow, "decide what?"

"What you're going to do with your life from now on, of course."


	3. Irene & Gabe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe accompanies Irene on a book heist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally posted this in two parts; this includes both.

Coppelia drummed her fingers on her desk. "And why should I allow you to be accompanied on this mission? And by your son, no less?"

Irene knew that Coppelia wasn't fond of Gabe-- she hadn't even met him, but the knowledge that he simply existed was enough to set the senior Librarian on edge-- but still... This was borderline unfair. Call her biased, but Irene knew that Gabe could be a huge asset to a book heist. Or, at the very least, it would be nice to have the company.

"You allowed my parents"-- Irene's voice caught at that; she still had no leads on her true past, though she truly wished she had even the slightest clue-- "to bring me on some of their missions when I was younger, even younger than Gabe is now. So I don't see why I can't bring him along with me."

Coppelia's frown deepened. "That is because you were young back then, Irene, and there was nobody to care for you but your parents. And, to my understanding, there are multiple people back in London who can take care of your son."

Indeed, there was: Vale was at his home on Baker Street, and Kai was probably sitting with him, figuring out something or other about a case. But why couldn't Coppelia just let Gabe go on this mission with her?

Besides, it wasn't like Irene needed Coppelia's permission to do anything. (Okay, perhaps that was a bit exaggerated, but still; this was Irene's son, not Coppelia's. In regards to Gabe, Irene didn't like the fact that Coppelia felt that she was in charge of everything). It was Irene's choice.

"Irene," Coppelia said firmly, her gaze fixed on Irene, "do you understand that I do not want you to bring your son along on this mission?"

"Alright."

Irene was glad that she wasn't being asked to affirm this fact using the Language; it was a blatant lie, after all. She wasn't about to leave Gabe behind. She trusted that he'd be fine, so long as he was near her. And it'd be nice of her to give the boys a weekend off.

She left Coppelia's office and grabbed Gabe, urging him to stand and follow her as she made her way to the Traverse.

"Mom?"

Irene quirked an eyebrow but didn't turn to face her son. "Yeah, Gabe?"

"Where exactly are we going?"

"B-81," she replied crisply, "we're going to steal that book."

Gabe stopped in his tracks, looking at his mother in disbelief. "But... Madame Coppelia said..."

"Not to bring you along, I know," Irene answered, finally stopping to face her son, "but honestly, do you think I'm the type to always listen and obey to my superiors?"

There was a teasing, joking glint in her eyes, but Gabe could also tell that she was being completely serious. He had seen her do it before, after all: disobeying orders and going against suggestions, often ones given by either his father or Vale. Gabe chuckled, shaking his head a little. There was honestly so much about both of his parents that reminded him of young children instead of the mature adults that they were supposed to be, the role models that being parents kind of required them to be. At times, he suspected that Vale was the only real adult in his life.

But, of course, that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy his time with them. Actually, it made the time he spent with them so much more interesting.

"Now, come on," Irene said firmly, taking him by the wrist and starting to pull him along as she began to walk, "we should probably get to the Traverse as soon as we possibly can, or else someone might catch us. And I'm not feeling up to getting in trouble right now."

Gabe chuckled a little, following her as she made her way easily through the maze of shelves and books. "And what exactly is our target here?"

"A book called The Traveler's Mark. In all of the alternates, there's only one where the author actually sat her butt down and got to writing it."

Gabe laughed. "So... It should be fairly easy to acquire, then?"

"Not at all," Irene replied, "only two copies of the book exist: the copy she wrote by hand and the copy she typed and printed up."

"So she finished the book... And it never even got published?"

"That's right."

"Is she a notable author or anything?" he asked, "or..."

"Nah," Irene admitted, "but Coppelia wants that book, and who am I to deny her that?"

Gabe seemed to contemplate this before nodding his head firmly. "Alright, then. Let's go steal a book."

The weather seemed to be warm enough. The sun was shining, though it hardly seemed to make a difference. But there was no wind, making it feel warmer than what Irene knew it could end up being.

It was fairly easy to fit in here: second-hand shops seemed to be quite common here, and they all carried similar clothes to what everyone else was wearing. Soon enough, she was wearing a dark purple tank-top and black yoga pants while Gabe was outfitted in dark jeans and a navy-blue polo. Irene smiled to herself. She was proud of how handsome her son was, glad that he had inherited some good looks from Kai's side of the family. (Though, with that came a few here-and-there powers; there had been plenty of water-controlling incidents back when he was a young boy).

And now they were planning things out.

"The Librarian-in-Residence said that both copies of the story are currently at the Newberry Library here in Chicago," Irene said, peering up at the street sign in front of her, "how far does it say we have to go?"

Gabe consulted the map, also checking the street sign. "It looks like we're going to have to turn right at the next intersection, onto West Delaware Place and then continue on North Clark Street for... A block or so, maybe?"

Irene nodded, her mind racing. She had plenty of details on the book itself, and its location in the library. All she needed to do was figure out just how she and Gabe were going to pull off the heist.

"Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"Do we even have a plan here?"

Irene shook her head. "No, we don't. But, of course, we can always plan on the way there."

Gabe frowned. "You know I'm not Dad. I can't just... Jump into something crazy, without a plan."

"Your father doesn't do that."

"You don't know him that well, do you?"

That did nothing to soothe Irene. Perhaps... Perhaps she didn't know Kai as well as she thought that she did. And that thought scared her. She liked to think that she knew Kai better than anyone else did, but of course that was a futile hope. After all, Kai had grown up with his uncles and father, so they probably knew more about him than she did, especially during the times that he had been growing up. Vale had probably deduced plenty about Kai that she didn't know about. And she had the sneaking suspicion that Kai opened up about himself to Gabe more than he did to her.

And that fact kind of hurt.

Gabe noticed the expression on his mother's face and immediately felt sorry. He reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. I didn't mean that."

"It doesn't necessarily matter if you meant it or not, Gabe; it's true."

"Maybe it's the other way around, Mom," he tried, "maybe it's that I don't know him that well, and you know him better than I do. After all, he was your assistant for quite some time. I only ever see him every so often, and... Well, you know. It's been that way since I was born."

"That's not true, Gabe," Irene protested, stopping in her tracks and firmly grasping his wrist, "ever since you were born, your father has actually made more of an effort to be home than he had ever done before. He loves you, Gabe. Don't you ever forget that, okay?"

He nodded before quickly changing the subject. "So... Where do you think that everyone is?"

It didn't matter which alternate they were in; Chicago was always a crazy-busy city, and they both knew that.

That is peculiar, Irene thought to herself, there's almost nobody around...

But she wasn't about to let that get her down, or scare her, even when her wet blanket of an inner voice wanted to ensure otherwise. Perhaps they were just lucky this time around. After all, they were in the hub of Chicago, near Navy Pier and Lake Michigan and a lot of places with food and shopping...

"I have absolutely no idea," she admitted with a shrug, "but... Let's get going, okay? The library closes in less than an hour, and I'd like this to be an in-and-out sort of mission."

Gabe nodded and allowed her to lead the way down to the Newberry Library. Once they got inside, they were greeted by a librarian out front.

"Oh! Not at the big game tonight, eh?"

Gabe quirked an eyebrow. "The big game?"

The librarian nodded. "Of course, the big game. The final game of the World Series."

Of course, Irene mentally smacked herself, Wrigley Field's three to five miles away... And, in most alternates, the Cubs are kind of stuck in a rut. So... That explains why nobody else is here.

"Can I help you two find anything?" the librarian asked, looking them over with a wary expression, "or would you two be fine exploring things on your own?"

Gabe exchanged a look with his mother. What am I supposed to say?

She shook her head a little. "We were curious about Katrina Holt's The Traveler's Mark."

The woman's light blue eyes lit up as Irene said this. "The Traveler's Mark, eh?"

"Yes, The Traveler's Mark," Gabe confirmed, "do you happen to know where we could find it?"

"It's back in the archives," the librarian said, jerking her head in the direction of a heavy wooden door.

Irene met Gabe's eyes. Watch this.

"Ma'am, I would like to go back there and see it, please."

"I'm sorry, but only people of a certain authority are allowed to go back there."

"Fine," Irene consented, taking a piece of paper out of her pocket, "have it your way. You perceive that this is the proper paperwork and/or identification that you need to see in order to allow the two of us to go back there."

The librarian raised a disdainful eyebrow, looking at Gabe. "Just what is your girlfriend trying to pull over on me?"

"My girlfriend?" Gabe responded with a snort, "she's hardly my girlfriend. She's my..."

Here, he had to think fast. After all, she looked to be only about ten years older than he did, so telling the librarian that she was his mother-- which was the complete and utter truth-- would possibly raise a few questions, ones that he knew he didn't want to have to face.

"She's my older sister."

Irene smiled proudly at him, nodding her head and extending her hand to the librarian. "Scarlett Markin."

The librarian just snorted, ignoring Irene's hand. "It doesn't matter what your name is; you're not getting into the archives."

Damn it.

"Alright, then," Gabe intervened, "we'll just browse, then."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Irene let out a curse. Of all the times for the Language to be overpowered by somebody's sheer will... She had thought that this would be a simple heist, an in-and-out ordeal. But, of course, she was completely wrong. It was almost like she had never learned.

Gabe placed a hand on her forearm, sensing her distress. "Hey. We'll find a way to get that book, Mom. I'm not about to let you fail on this one."

Irene smiled softly. "Thanks, Gabe."  
\-----  
I'm not about to let you fail.

Though Gabe had said these words, he was unsure of how to keep the promise that he had made to his mother. He had never been on a book heist before, and he was unused to the sudden pressure that it put on the two of them. It made him admire his parents even more... As insane as this was, they had been through situations that were much crazier.

He'd have to ask them to tell him some stories later. But for now... He had a book to help steal.

"Attention," a voice said over the loudspeaker, "the Newberry Library will be closing within the next ten minutes. Please complete all of your checkouts and make your way to the doors. Have a nice evening."

Gabe glanced at Irene. "Mom?"

Irene sighed. Sometimes, it was frustrating to have to explain every little thing to her son.

"We're staying, Gabe. Now that we're in, and we know the library from our little recon mission, there's no way we're leaving."

"What... What are we going to do, then?"

"We're going to wait, of course," Irene said, like it was obvious, "there's only ten minutes until the library closes; all we have to do after that is stay out of the way of any guards they may have stationed throughout the library itself... And hope that, if we do have an unwanted run-in, the people we come across are more susceptible to the Language than the woman from earlier was."

Gabe looked at her, curious. "Was that... Was that the first time the Language didn't work on someone?"

"You couldn't be further from the truth," she chuckled, "there are so many times that the Language didn't work on the owner of a target book, or on someone who was set on arresting me... Hell, there were even a few times that I tried to use it on Vale."

That caused the both of them to go silent, Irene trying not to think of how much crap she'd put her poor friend through... And Gabe trying to imagine his mother attempting to use the Language to bend no-nonsense Vale to her will, even slightly. It didn't matter that Gabe was sixteen years old; the image made him want to laugh out loud. But he had to focus on the task at hand now.

"Wouldn't someone notice us?" he asked, "if we stay after they lock the doors, wouldn't somebody realize that they locked two virtual strangers into the library and kick us out?"

Irene smiled, her eyes shining. "We have the power of the Language on our side, Gabe. The world is practically our oyster here."

"Alright, then."

He still had his questions-- when the power of the Language wore off (if it even worked on a person in the first place), just how many people would they have on their tails?-- but he kept quiet about it. He had to trust his mother. She deserved at least that much.

So now... They waited.

Irene beckoned to Gabe. Come. It's time.

Tentatively, Gabe stood to join her. He was unsure of what to do now that they were there... Why had she even taken him along on the heist? He had no clue what to do; he couldn't necessarily do anything to help that. He didn't necessarily want to be the teenaged boy who was constantly trailing his mother around, but... If it came down to it, he would definitely be following her, if only to get a sense of what the heck he was supposed to be doing.

So he followed her.

Irene led him back towards the lobby, keeping an eye out for anyone who could potentially pose a threat to their mission. When she deemed the area clear, she began to cross the room, headed straight for the heavy wooden door from earlier.

"Ray!"

She froze. Who had just called her name? Her true name? As far as she was aware, the only person who knew her name was Alberich. And, as far as she was concerned, he was dead. There was no possible way that he was there... Right?

"Mom?" Gabe whispered, "is something the matter?"

Irene shook her head a little, slowly turning to face the speaker. It was a man, looking to be just a little older than she appeared to be. He was handsome, with shaggy blond hair that fell into his face, covering piercing blue eyes. He came closer to her, reaching to take her in his arms.

"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better," he murmured, kissing her forehead, "though you should've had Jackie or Em come with you. I don't want anything to happen to my girlfriend."

She shot a furtive glance at the nametag on his shirt.

Chase.

"I know, Chase," she said softly, hoping to the high heavens that she was acting correct, "but you know me. I can't sit still for terribly long."

He chuckled softly. "No, you can't."

Score.

"Now... Who's this kid?" he asked suddenly, "don't recognize you from anywhere."

Gabe swallowed back a little. "Benny. Benny Markin."

Irene smiled a little.

"I'm her little cousin."

Chase hardly hesitated before he let go of Irene and grabbed Gabe into a bear hug, too. "Been waitin' to meet you!"

Irene blinked. "You have?"

"Well, yeah," Chase said, "after all the high praise you've had for your 'favorite cousin' Bennett, I've been anticipating getting to finally meet him."

Irene nodded a little. "Alright, then."

"I'm finishing closing up," he said after a second, "if you'll just give me a few minutes, and then we can go out for dinner or something?"

Gabe shot a glance at Irene, who gave a slight shrug.

"I can close up for you," he said after a moment, "give you two some... Alone time."

Irene smiled to herself.

"Are we... Are you certain?" Chase asked, "it's a bit of a..."

"He's got this," Irene jumped in quickly, "you can trust him to close up for you."

She had no idea if the Language would bind her for saying that he would close up when they both knew the reality, but she didn't quite care at the moment. They needed this book, and Gabe had found a way to help out a little. She just hoped that it worked.

Gabe watched as the Language did its thing on Chase, fogging his senses ever so slightly.

"Alright," Chase said, reaching into his pocket, "here are the keys to some of the doors. Others have automatic locks; you just need to make sure that they're completely locked before leaving."

Gabe nodded, taking the keys from him. "Thank you."

Irene went to hug her son. "I'll see you in a little bit. Maybe in the park across the way?"

Gabe nodded again, and Irene quickly pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"I love you," she whispered, "stay safe."

"You know I will."

Gabe was beginning to regret this. His mother was trusting him completely on this, and he had never done this sort of thing before.

He had let himself right into the archives as soon as Irene had left with Chase-- that also scared him; he knew that his mother was capable of handling herself, but that didn't mean that he couldn't worry-- and just as soon realized that he was essentially lost. There were no maps of the archive-- it was a constantly changing thing, after all, and it's hard to keep things straight when it's constantly moving around and changing-- so he had to rely on his own instincts. His not-so-very-good instincts.

He began to wander around the archives, hoping beyond hope that he would happen to chance across it, some way or another.

Irene hardly felt comfortable near Chase. Not that she didn't trust him or anything. But she was unused to the feel of someone other than Kai or Gabe at her side, unused to someone other than Kai holding onto her hand or wrapping an arm around her waist...

She spent the entire time ready to use the Language on him again if need be, and thinking one thing:

God, I hope that Gabe's got this.

There.

A cardboard sign on one of the shelves.

Story drafts.

That had to be where The Traveler's Mark was hidden. Gabe turned down towards that section, beginning to peruse it carefully. He had seen his mother do this at bookstores, looking specifically for a title that she was interested in. Surely that was a trick to getting what you were looking for. Including drafts of stories that you intend to help your mother steal for the Library.

All of the drafts were different. Some were in binders, others in folders, some in homemade covers, on and on and on.

Finally, a big maroon binder caught his eye. A piece of paper was in place with a small pocket on the side of the binder, and in neat handwriting it read K. Holt: The Traveler's Mark.

He reached out to grab it, opening it to check inside. He had found the typed-up version.

Thank god.

Just then, he heard the door to the archive rooms open up and he froze. Someone had found him out.

"Gabe?"

Gabe breathed a sigh of relief. It was only his mother. He tucked the binder close to his chest and began to jog through the room, back towards the doorway. When Irene came into sight, he burst out grinning.

"I got it."

Irene smiled, too. "Good. Let's get going."

Once they were back in the Library, Irene shot off an e-mail to Coppelia briefly explaining the mission-- she knew that she was putting herself in danger of her supervisor's wrath by including her son in the report, but she also knew that there couldn't necessarily be a report without him, either-- before putting the binder in a large envelope and putting it into a dropbox.

If Coppelia needed her later, she knew where to find her.

For now, it was time for them both to get back to B-395. To get back home.


	4. Meeting Gabe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Irene and Vale get to meet Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters for the first time.

Irene smiled softly, looking down at the small infant in her arms. She was exhausted, but still... There he was. Her son.

He was small-- his entire body was the length of her forearm, and his tiny fingers could hardly wrap themselves around her pinky finger-- but, she supposed, that was to be expected of a newborn baby. And, already, she loved him. A lot. And she would do whatever she could do in order to protect him.

There was a knock on the door before it opened and Vale poked his head inside. "Hey, Winters. How are you feeling?"

"Absolutely exhausted," she replied, "but... He's here now."

"He?" Vale asked, curious, "it's a boy?"

Irene laughed a little, readjusting her son so that Vale could see him better. "Yes. Would you... Would you like to hold him?"

Vale nodded, reaching to carefully take the small infant from his friend's arms. The little boy only squirmed a little, but just as quickly got comfortable in Vale's arms. Vale's expression softened as he studied the baby boy.

"He looks a lot like Strongrock."

"He does, doesn't he?"

That was the extent of that conversation.

Kai, while not exactly taboo, was a bit of a touchy subject around Irene. She still had no idea when she would see the dragon prince again. Though she had to admit that she was kind of dreading the reunion.

How would he react when he saw the baby?

Vale spoke again, swiftly changing the subject. "Does he have a name yet, Winters?"

Irene nodded, propping herself up on her pillows. "Yes, he does. Gabriel. Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters."

Vale smirked a little. "Which books did you pull that name from?"

"None, actually," she responded smugly, "I had a friend named Gabriel back at boarding school, and I chose 'Alabaster' because he has the same alabaster complexion as his father."

Vale nodded his approval before returning his focus to baby Gabriel. "Hello there, Gabe."

Irene smiled. "I like that. Gabe."

He shrugged a little. "I had nicknames for each of my siblings, though I am fairly certain that they weren't terribly fond of them."

"Well, I'm positive that this little fellow won't mind being called 'Gabe,'" Irene responded with a laugh, "it's a fine, sensible nickname."

"I'm glad that you think so. Because I'm most definitely not going to use it that often."

"And why not?" she asked, shocked, "you practically have a monopoly on the name; you brought it to my attention in the first place."

"For the same reason that I call you Winters instead of Irene," he responded simply, "in other words... I have no idea."

Irene laughed. "Fine. But, if you don't mind, I'll call him Gabe."

"That is absolutely fine by me."

At that, Vale looked back down at Gabe, closely studying each of his tiny features. There was definitely a lot there to remind anyone of Kai... Kai, who had been off on some sort of dragon business for the better part of the past year. Kai, who had no idea that Gabe even existed. Kai, whose return had yet to have a set date and/or time.

Irene wasn't the only one who missed him. Granted, Vale could tell that she missed the other man far more than he did, but still... He missed his friend. He missed the feeling of having both of his friends there.

He could easily imagine Kai in that place and time, his mind easily inserting the dragon into the current moment. He could see Kai sitting at Irene's side, his arm around her shoulders. He could see Kai looking at his son with pride, and holding him close and whispering comforting words to him whenever he started to get fussy...

Damn it.

Vale didn't know what had happened to his initial 'don't become attached' philosophy, especially when it came to Irene and Kai, but still... There he was, completely invested in their lives. But, when he thought about it, he realized that he wouldn't trade their friendship for anything. He appreciated both Irene and Kai, and he appreciated all that they did for him... And he would help them, too, whether it be with book heists or babysitting Gabe.

He would be the best possible friend that he could be for them.

"I can't wait for Kai to come back," Irene said quietly, "to see him again... For him to meet Gabe..."

"I can't wait, either, Winters," Vale replied, "I can't wait, either."


	5. New Beginnings - part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snippets of different instances of the life of young Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters.

New beginnings. Life is full of them.

Irene didn't like what was being told to her.

Or, at the very least, she didn't want to believe what was being told to her.

There was no possible way... No. She could not-- she would not-- believe it.

Kai had just left; now was not a good time for her to figure out that she was pregnant. Of all the possible things...

She sighed deeply, reaching out to knock on the door to Vale's flat. Perhaps he would be able to help her. Even if he couldn't... It would be fairly nice to have a friend at her side during this all. Of course, that wasn't to say that she expected to have him on her side; he was a fairly strict man, and any fracture in conduct-- which, of course, was all that happened between her and Kai anymore-- seemed to personally wound him. But still... It would be fairly nice to at least get this craziness off her chest, to get to share her struggles with someone else.

As soon as she knocked, Vale's housekeeper opened the door. "Why, Miss Winters! What are you doing here?"

"Is Vale in right now?"

The sound of footsteps on the stairs caught her attention, and she looked up to see Vale standing there. She smiled a little, glad to see a friendly face... Even if he was staring at her with a rather judgmental look in his eyes.

"Well?" he said impatiently after a moment or two of simply standing there, "aren't you going to come in, Winters?"

She blinked. "Yes. Sorry."

He sighed, shaking his head. But he couldn't hide the small smile that played at the corners of his lips. Over the years, he had grown to be quite fond of Winters and Strongrock, despite the fact that those two... They were troublemakers.

"Mrs. Cavendish, could you put on some tea for Winters and I?" Vale asked, "Winters, we can go to my sitting room to discuss... Whatever it is that has brought you here."

Irene smiled gratefully at her friend, following his lead up the stairs into the main sitting room. He motioned for her to take a seat, so she took her favorite armchair, a comfortable thing that was mostly made of dark green plush. When she had taken her seat, Vale took a seat in his wing-backed chair, resting his elbows on the armrest and steepling his fingers.

"This isn't simply a personal visit, is it?"

She had to hand it to him: he was good at what he did.

"No, it's not," she admitted, "there is a bit of a... Personal issue behind my visit."

Vale nodded, signaling that she had his full attention. Which was honestly saying quite a bit, at least for Peregrine Vale.

Irene took a deep breath in, trying to prepare herself. But she found that she couldn't prepare herself. She couldn't keep herself terribly calm and collected. Not about this.

"Winters?" Vale asked quietly, reaching out to touch her knee, "are you alright?"

She shook her head. No.

"I-- I..."

Vale gave her (what he hoped was) a reassuring smile. "Take your time."

Irene nodded, taking another deep breath in before... "A baby. Kai and I... We're going to have a baby."

Vale blinked, surprised. Of all the things that he had expected to come out of her mouth, this was not one of them.

Kai had literally just left, mere days ago, and now... Poor Irene.

She looked tired and worried, scared and uncertain...

Vale wasn't normally the type to do this, but still... He leaned over and gave Irene a hug, patting her on the back in a reassuring manner.

"Don't worry yourself over it, Winters," he said softly, "I'll be here for you."

Life is a new beginning: from that first breath, you are new.

The strange woman-- Irene hadn't bothered to figure out just who this woman was; she was far too preoccupied at the time of the woman's entrance, and it only mattered to her that the stranger was there to help her-- smiled kindly at her.

"Congratulations, Miss Winters," she said in a kind voice, "it looks like you've got yourself a fine young boy."

Irene was exhausted, but that hardly stopped her from smiling a little and reaching out her arms to take the boy-- her son-- from the other woman.

As she held him close, she studied him. His dark brown hair, slightly curled. There were dark blue streaks in his hair, and she knew that he got that from his father, alongside the slight blue coloration of his pale, pale skin.

"What are you planning on naming him, Miss Winters?"

Irene hardly had to think. The name had been on the tip of her tongue for what seemed like ages, and it felt so nice to finally get to say it... He was really there. And now, she was allowed to call him by whatever name she chose.

"Gabriel," she said softly, eyes never straying from the newborn, "his name is Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters."

Your story is just starting; there are new beginnings everywhere you look.

Kai looked down at Irene, who leaned against him as she slept. And then he looked at Gabe, who was nestled in his arms, also fast asleep.

His family.

He had never assumed that this was where he and Irene would be at this very moment, but now that he knew that this was what their life held... He didn't care that this wasn't what he had assumed. He didn't care about the fact that he had never asked for this.

For here, in his arms, he held the two most precious people in the world: the woman he loved and their young son. And that was all that mattered to him in that moment.

Gabe yawned loudly, stretching out his arms and readjusting himself slightly. That seemed to be one of his favorite things to do, since he apparently couldn't stay in one position or another for a terribly long amount of time.

Kai smiled a little bit. Of course this hadn't been expected. But that didn't mean that he didn't care for the boy. That he didn't want to love and protect young Gabriel.

His son.

"I will do everything in my power to protect you, kid," he whispered, "on my honor, I swear that I will be there for you."

And while his word wasn't binding like the Language was, or even the word given by any Fae, he knew that his honor was enough. He would keep his word. No matter what.

First steps, first words...

Kai entered the flat late that night, looking worn and weary. It had been a long day for him, and all he wanted was to take a nice, long bath before settling into bed for the night... After checking in on Irene and their son, of course.

But when he got into the sitting room, he found that there were different plans laid out for him.

Irene sat on the floor, her legs tucked underneath her as she made goofy faces at Gabe, who was standing right in front of her and laughing that contagious little laugh of his.

Kai smiled a little. He enjoyed coming home to moments like this. It was probably one of his favorite things to come home to, as a matter of fact. The sweet little moments that they all got to enjoy between every little thing that came their way, such as work or familial duty... These were moments that Kai cherished, the times that kept him going whenever he felt down.

When Irene realized that Kai was there, casually leaning against the doorway, she smiled widely. Gabe followed her gaze and grinned a goofy little grin, which caused his father to begin smiling uncontrollably.

He seriously loved his son.

Gabe started wobbling a little just then, and Irene reached out to steady him. The smile he gave her was thanks enough, in her honest opinion. And then he rose to his full height-- two and a half feet tall-- and began to take wobbly steps in his father's direction. Kai glanced over at Irene, eyes wide. She simply smiled and nodded.

He knelt down so that he was eye-level with Gabe, who was now making rapid progress towards the other side of the room... Towards his father's arms, which were now wide open. He tripped over something-- likely just air-- and stumbled, nearly falling flat on his face. But he saved himself, using his arms to break his fall. He pushed himself back up and gurgled a little-- how he was unfazed by the near-fall, Kai had no idea-- before resuming his casual, wobbly little stroll in his father's direction.

Finally, he made it to Kai, stumbling once again and falling into his lap. Kai chuckled fondly, helping his son reposition himself so that he was comfortable there. And then he looked up at Irene.

"His first steps?"

Irene contemplated this. "He's been taking steps all day, practicing. But... That was probably the longest amount of time that he stayed up on his feet."

Kai nodded his approval, staring at Gabe affectionately. His son had grown in so many ways over the past year or so, and it warmed his heart to see how much the little boy was growing and maturing.

He couldn't wait to see how Gabe would surprise him in future years.

Gabe's first word didn't come terribly long after his first steps.

This time around, it was Irene entering their home and finding Kai in the kitchen, making tea as Gabe wobbled about the home, babbling away in some nonsensical gibberish. Irene smiled down at him, taking the young boy into her arms.

"Good evening, Gabe," she said, chuckling when he nodded his head at her, "it's so nice to see you again."

She kissed his forehead, causing him to burst out laughing. His laugh was loud and contagious, and it was probably one of Irene's favorite sounds at the moment. (Quite possibly for even longer than "at the moment," but the fact didn't necessarily matter at the time).

Kai, now finished with the tea, moved to stand in the doorway, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the frame. He enjoyed getting to watch those two interacting with each other, though it also made him feel a guilt of sorts about not being there for Irene and Gabe long before the first time he actually met his son. But that hardly mattered now. The three of them were together-- for the most part, considering the obligations belonging to both himself and Irene-- and there didn't seem to be anything that could stop that now.

"Brandy!"

Irene blinked, surprised. Gabe was looking at her, almost as if he was seeking her approval for something.

"What?" she asked once she had gotten over her shock, "did you just say 'brandy'?"

Gabe nodded enthusiastically, pointing at the bottle in Kai's hand. "Brandy!"

Irene chuckled a little, looking up at Kai. "His first word?"

Kai laughed, no doubt remembering the fact that he had asked a similar question only a few weeks before, when Gabe had taken his first steps. He crossed the room, wrapping an arm around Irene's waist and focusing his attention on the young boy.

"Yeah. We practiced all day on that one, didn't we, buddy?"

Gabe gurgled in response and Kai chuckled fondly.

Irene nodded her approval. "I will admit, your word choice is on-point."

Kai grinned, and... Irene groaned internally. He had puffed out his chest a little, as if she had just given him the highest praise possible. As much as she loved him, the sheer amount of pride that he had... It could be a little much.

Kai noticed her sudden unease and laughed a little, shaking his head. "I'm playing around with you, 'Rene. I knew you'd enjoy it if his first word involved something that we both like. I'm not actually that proud of the part that I played in this, okay?"

She smirked. "Oh?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, starting to sound frustrated, "I'm being serious, Irene!"

"Do I have your word on that?"

He groaned. "You have my word."

That kid down the street is learning to bike.

Irene sat down on the bed next to her son, peering over his shoulder curiously. A Study in Scarlet.

She smiled a little. "Sherlock Holmes, huh?"

Gabe shrugged a little, flipping the page. As soon as he realized that the next page didn't have any illustrations, he flipped to the one after that. That was when Irene realized... She had never taught him to read. How was it that she hadn't yet taken the time to sit down at her son's side and begin the arduous process of teaching him her trade... The reading part of it, at least.

She wasn't quite sold on the idea of her son putting himself in danger as a Librarian... Not yet, at least. Perhaps when he was older.

But not now. He was too precious to her; she could not imagine that. Nah, it was time for her to teach him to read... But nothing else about her job.

"May I?"

Gabe shot a wary glance up at his mother but handed her the book nonetheless. It was a nice collection of the books and stories, a fine leather-bound copy that held all of the Holmes stories. Irene smiled a little, gently running her hand along the cover and the spine before opening it to the first story, A Study in Scarlet. She had read the story multiple times before, of course, so she had practically memorized it-- and, of course, the entire Sherlock Holmes canon-- so she hardly had to pay any attention to it.

Instead, she placed the book in between them so that it sat half on her lap, half on Gabe's, and started reading.

"In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine..."

Gabe quirked an eyebrow. "How do you know what it says?"

Irene laughed a little, reaching back into her mind. Of course, her son knew his letters and numbers. He knew the shapes and sounds they all made. But apparently he didn't know that they could all fit together to make words.

Letters make words. Words make sentences. Sentences make paragraphs. Paragraphs make chapters. Chapters make books. And books make people happy.

But how would she teach him all that? It wasn't as if she could just share what she knew. It wasn't as simple as it seemed, teaching someone to read... And she hadn't even started the process of trying to teach him.

Maybe if she started simple...

She stood up, smoothing out her skirt. "Just give me a minute or two, Gabe. I have to go grab something."

With that, she left the room and made her way into the small study just across the hall. She grabbed a pen and some paper, quickly heading back into her son's bedroom. When he gave her that curious, somewhat concerned look of his-- a look he picked up from the sheer amount of time that he spent with his 'Uncle' Vale, who was always curious yet had a constant sense of judgment about him-- she chuckled.

"We're going to start simple, okay? And then we can work up to the Sherlock Holmes books."

Gabe nodded a little, some confusion written on his face. He picked up the pen, though, and wrote the alphabet at the top of the paper. Irene smiled, nodding her approval.

"Let's start with something simple..." she said, trying to think, "how about your name?"

"My name is Gabe."

Irene laughed, glad to see that he at least remembered that much. "Do you know how to spell it?"

"Mom, it's Gay-buh."

"That's how you say your name," she corrected him, though she smiled at his attempt, "but what letters are in your name?"

Gabe shook his head. He had no idea.

Irene took the pen from him and wrote neatly on the paper: "G-a-b-e."

His eyes widened. "Gabe?"

"Yes. That says 'Gabe.'"

"That's my name!"

Irene laughed. "Yes, it is."

And then she spelled it out loud for him. He clapped his small hands together, grinning. And when she offered him the pen once more, he took it gladly and wrote his name without hesitation.

We've got his name down, Irene thought, smiling to herself, now we just need to teach him the rest.

She was looking forward to it.


	6. Suds & Buds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang spends some time goofing off with a foam machine.  
Vale isn't having any of it.

"Where did Alister get off to now?" Vale asked, "we turn away for one minute..."

"He'll be fine," Kai put in, "he knows better than to get himself into trouble like that... Now."

Irene shot Kai a glare. "Our son is with him."

Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters was five years old now, and it seemed that he was fairly popular, especially among Irene and Kai's friends. Gabe's current favorite, though, was 'Uncle Allie.' And sometimes, Allie ended up getting the both of them in trouble.

"Alright, alright," Kai relented, "we can keep an eye out for them."

Irene sighed. "Vale?"

"Already on it, Winters."

She smiled. Of course Vale was already keeping an eye out for them. What else was she supposed to expect from the greatest detective in this version of London?

"Mom!"

Gabe's voice rang out suddenly, surprising the three adults. There he was, toddling towards them... And completely covered in suds. Both Kai and Vale backed away from him, leaving Irene to her own devices when it came to the young boy.

"What... Happened to you?"

Gabe didn't give a verbal response, instead grabbing his mother's hand and beginning to run into the open lot he had just emerged from. There, in the center of the lot, was a ladder. Attached to the ladder was one of those box fans, somehow spewing out a mountain of soapy spuds.

And Alister was standing in the midst of the mess.

Irene couldn't help it; she busted up laughing. "Oh... Oh my goodness!"

Gabe was still holding her hand and still running at full speed (which wasn't terribly fast for the young five-year-old, but still). Next thing Irene knew, she was enveloped in the suds, too. They were nice and warm, welcome relief from the chill of (way) early May. They surrounded her almost completely, at least up to her waist.

Kai and Vale entered the lot, eyes going wide as they beheld the scene before them. The difference between the two men was made evident, though, when Kai's face lit up and he ran to join the others in the suds, whereas Vale simply stood back and watched with a look of mild disgust.

Irene could feel the soap starting to soak through her skirt, but she took one look at Gabe, Allie, and Kai, and determined that it didn't matter. She didn't mind that her skirts were now wet (and likely slippery, judging by the fact that they were in the midst of soap). The others seemed to be enjoying themselves, and perhaps it was her turn to let loose, just a little. Besides, the Library didn't necessarily have rules against having fun every once in a while.

Just then, Alister snuck up behind her with a handful of the suds. He grinned wickedly, plopping the suds into her hair and using his hands to spread them around, almost as if he were giving her head a massage.

That was the final straw for Irene.

She leaned down and gathered up an armful of suds, beginning to chase after Allie. But he was quick and nimble, and was somehow able to avoid her the entire time that she chased him. So Irene had to settle for the next-best choice: smearing the suds all over Kai.

Gabe watched his parents with awe and delight. He enjoyed getting to watch them goof off with each other. As serious as his mother was, she had fun, especially around his father.

And then Alister ran up to Gabe, smothering the boy in suds, too. Gabe shrieked loudly before grabbing up some bubbles and tossing them at Allie. They fell apart halfway there, and Gabe frowned, reaching to grab some more bubbles. Alister knelt down a little, allowing the young boy to spread the suds all over him.

Irene smiled as she watched the little scene unfold in front of her. She loved getting to watch her son having fun... Even if it distracted her from what Kai was doing.

Next thing she knew, there were more suds all over her: in her hair, on the sleeves of her dress, all over her face...

That's it. This is war.

With that thought, she grabbed some suds and lunged at Kai, ready to attack.

Gabe had finally stopped his shivering, and Irene smiled, wrapping an arm around her son.

They had finally gotten home, and all three of them had immediately taken off their wet, soapy clothes and put on robes, taking turns taking nice, warm baths. And now... All was warm and quiet once more.

Gabe snuggled into her side a little, seeking the comfort of his mother's arms. "I'm tired."

Irene chuckled a little. "You can go to sleep, if you want. I'll protect you."

There was no response. Instead, there was silence for a moment or so before the sound of Gabe's soft snoring filled the room.

Kai entered, carrying two cups of warm tea and a book. He looked at Gabe and smiled a little, glad to see that his son was getting a restful sleep... And giving him some time to be alone with Irene. He sat down on the couch next to them, and handed her one of the cups of tea. She accepted it, offering him a grateful smile before leaning her head on his shoulder.

Irene could understand just how Gabe felt earlier. She, too, was tired and cold. But it had been worth it, she thought, to have the fun that they had had that day.

She closed her eyes, and soon enough, was fast asleep.


	7. Otters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe's favorites were the otters.

Gabe's favorites were the otters. He loved how sleek they looked as they swam underwater, and he loved how playful and goofy they were when they were together.

He wished he could be as carefree as they were. But that wasn't necessarily an option for him. After all, his mother was a Librarian, his father was a dragon prince, and his uncle was a killjoy. Thankfully, though, he had people like his uncle Alister in his life.

Speaking of... Allie was crouched down next to Gabe, so that if they turned towards each other, they would be face-to-face. Uncle Vale was standing against the back wall with Irene and Kai, making small talk over some matter or other. One of the two otters swam right up to the glass in front of Allie, who smiled and poked Gabe in the side.

"Gabe," he whispered, "lookit."

Gabe looked and squealed in delight. "Uncle Allie! Otter!"

Allie grinned and reached over to tickle the five-year-old. Irene looked up just then and smiled softly. She loved that Gabe was easily excited, though sometimes the energy could be a little much for her to handle.

Gabe pressed his hands and face to the glass, watching the otters as they swam around the pond.

"I wanna do that," he whispered, "swim all day."

Kai laughed, kneeling down next to his son. "You wanna see something cool?"

Gabe nodded enthusiastically. Of course he wanted to see something cool. Kai grinned, focusing his attention on the water. And then the water rose up... And waved at Gabe.

The young boy squealed happily, clapping his hands together.

"Strongrock," Vale said, "this place is too public for this."

As if on cue, another family entered the room, immediately going right up to the glass. They began talking loudly, which Irene and Vale took as their cue to leave.

"Ready to go?"

"Awww," Gabe whined, "I wanna stay here."

"We've got a lot more planned for today," Irene said softly, reaching to take Gabe's hand in hers, "and I think you're going to have a lot of fun with that, too."

"Fine."

"Let's get going, then."


	8. Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world is so mysterious and wild when you start to see it through the eyes of a child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only mentions Gabe once or twice, but I think it deserves to be here.

"Tag! You're it!"

Alister's cry rang throughout the park, followed by Gabe's squeal and Haven's loud laughter. Irene smiled softly, glancing away from her conversation with Kai and Vale in order to catch a glimpse of the blur of colors that were her son and two friends. Vale groaned.

"Seriously," he said, "you would think that those two were children, too."

Kai smiled wistfully. "I wish that I had their energy and imagination. I used to, but... I grew up."

Irene nodded. "I'd occasionally get to goof off, when I was much younger I would read fairy tales from the stacks of the books in the Library and then roleplay all of them, completely on my own."

"That must've been amazing to watch," Kai grinned, "me, I had a small group of friends who would help me play pranks on my uncles' assistants."

Then he shook his head, laughing. "I can't even begin to tell you just how many times I've had to apologize to Li Ming."

Vale frowned. "Those were your ideas of fun?"

"We were children, Vale," Irene said, "much like Gabe is now. The world is so mysterious and wild, especially at that age."

Kai chimed in: "Surely you had fun as a kid, Vale."

"Not necessarily," Vale said sharply, "the most 'fun' I had was whenever I got to spend my time with Helene, and even then, we never did much more than pick flowers and talk."

"You picked flowers with your cousin?" Kai asked incredulously, "really?"

Vale nodded. "Indeed. Sometimes, we would simply head out to the meadow next to her family's manor and we would sit and talk for hours. We'd pick flowers, and..."

He trailed off suddenly, realizing just how personal some of his childhood memories were.

"And?" Irene prompted, "and what?"

"I would... I would weave the flowers together to make little crowns, often just big enough to fit on our heads and no one else's."

Irene smiled. "That's so sweet, Vale."

"Your childhood wasn't that pathetic," Kai added, "you knew how to have a good time, Vale-style."

"I... Suppose so."

Just then, Irene felt a small hand tapping at her leg. She looked down and saw Gabe, who was looking up at her with wide, imploring eyes.

"Mom, Dad, Uncle Vale... Play with us?"

Irene shot a glance at Kai, who nodded. Of course.

Then all heads turned to Vale, who shrugged.

"You know what?" he said, "fine. Let's do this."


	9. Lullaby

Irene groaned, gazing down at Gabe. Why couldn't he just go to sleep?! It wasn't that hard, in her opinion, especially not after Gabe had been born.

And then there was the sound of the door opening and closing downstairs, and then Kai's footsteps coming up the stairs. As he often did nowadays, he poked his head into the nursery first.

"Hey."

Irene didn't respond; she simply continued to bounce Gabe gently in her arms. Kai knelt down next to her, gently taking the young boy from Irene's arms.

"Having trouble getting him to sleep?"

Irene nodded. "Yes. He's been wide-awake for hours, and I can't do anything about it."

Kai chuckled softly before focusing on Gabe. And then he began to sing a lullaby in a soft, gentle voice.

"Frére Jacques, Frére Jacques, dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?"

Gabe yawned, blinking sleepily. Irene watched on, astonished. Kai could sing. And... It seemed to be working.

As he sang, Kai slowly rocked Gabe back and forth in his arms, adding on to the lulling effect on the baby. And, suddenly, Gabe's eyes closed... And they stayed shut.

Irene looked at Kai. "How the hell did you do that?"

Kai laughed. "I have a big family, remember? Brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews... I've had enough experience to help with my own son."

Irene smiled at him. "Thank you."

Kai nodded, already standing to put Gabe in the bassinet for the night. Once he made sure that his son was snug and cozy, and unlikely to wake up again, he helped Irene up from the floor.

"You look just about ready to fall asleep right here, right now."

"I feel it," she said bitterly, "thankfully, it won't take that long for me to fall asleep."

Kai grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I know."


	10. Gabe's First Birthday

Irene and Kai stood in the doorway of Gabe's nursery, gazing in at the little boy. It was hard to believe that he was almost a whole year old. It literally seemed like they had just met him for the first time, holding him in their arms and staring, amazed, at all of his tiny features. And now...

"He's almost one," Irene murmured quietly, "that's... That hardly seems right."

Kai chuckled softly, gently squeezing her waist. "I know."

Irene moved over to where Gabe was sleeping, gently pushing some of his dark brown curls out of his face and leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Good night, Gabe."

There were many reasons that Irene and Kai had opted to have a really minor party for Gabe. One being that the only person they could think to invite was Vale. Even then, it couldn't necessarily be considered a "party;" it was just an ordinary get-together centered around the young boy.

Speaking of...

Gabe was sitting in Vale's lap, cooing and gurgling excitedly up at his honorary uncle. Vale, much to his credit, actually paid attention to the young boy, speaking back and interacting with him.

Irene watched all the interactions with a small smile, preparing to jump in if need be. But Gabe and Vale seemed to be getting along just fine.

It was odd, seeing just how much everyone had grown in the past year or so.

But she was excited to see how else things would change in future years.


	11. Teething & Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe is fussy. Irene freaks out. Kai is there to help.

Irene was completely and utterly panicked. Gabe was screaming and crying, loud and long. He had been doing so for somewhere around three hours now.

And it had been like this for the past day or two.

Irene knew that he was going to be grumpy a lot, especially now that he was teething. His first tooth had come in a little over two weeks ago, soon followed by the next one. He hadn't been the smiley little boy that she was used to, not since then. And she had to pay for it.

But, for whatever reason, the past few days had been the worst.

"Still having troubles?" Kai asked, poking his head into the nursery, "here, let me see..."

"No!" Irene snapped, "I... I've got this, okay?"

Kai looked from her to Gabe, concerned. "I bet you didn't realize he had a fever, 'Rene."

"What makes you say that?"

"Irene," he said, putting a hand on her forearm, "I have never seen his face so pink and flushed."

Irene shook her head. "He was-- he still is-- screaming and crying like crazy."

Gabe suddenly quieted down, going from a scream to a whimper in .5 seconds flat. After a moment or two, his face returned to its natural coloration, give or take a slight pink flush. It was just as Kai said.

Irene blanched. Damn it all, he was sick and teething... And she was still trying to get used to being a mother. Period.

Kai gently took Gabe from her arms, holding him close to his chest. "Let's go see what we can do for you, huh?"

Irene smiled a little, standing alongside Kai before running ahead to get what she could in order to help her son.


	12. Farewell

"I say you ditch the baby and come with me."

Vale looked up from his paperwork, shocked at the sound of the voice. He knew that voice all too well.

"Silver," he said softly, "how did you get in here?"

Maybe Winters's Library ward has failed somehow... Or maybe it just wasn't strong enough to hold Silver back.

He wouldn't be terribly surprised if that was the case. Not much could prevent Silver from doing whatever he wanted.

"Your housekeeper let me in, dear Vale."

... Or that.

"Oh," he said simply before returning his attention to his work and his friends' young son, "well, then. It was nice seeing you again. Farewell."

Silver pouted. "Vale, dear. Is that any way for you to treat an old friend of yours?"

"We are no longer friends," Vale spat, "or anything for that matter. Besides, I have work to do. And, on top of that, I'm babysitting."

Silver smirked. "Peregrine Vale, babysitting. I never thought I'd see the day."

"He's a close personal relation," Vale retorted, "I wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't."

"Oh?" Silver raised an eyebrow, "so a nephew, perhaps?"

"Something like that."

Silver made his way over to the cradle where Gabe was nestled, fast asleep.

"Funny," he said, studying the young boy, "I don't recall there ever being any dragons in your family line. A few Fae here and there, but no dragons."

"Who said I was referring to my birth family, as opposed to the one which I have chosen?" Vale countered, "that's Strongrock and Winters's son."

Silver reached out to touch the young child, but Gabe immediately began to cry. Vale made a mental note to tell Strongrock just how proud he was of Gabe for that.

"I do believe that is your signal to leave, Silver."

Silver frowned. "Fine. Farewell, Vale."

"Farewell, Silver."


	13. Peanut Butter

There were three jars of peanut butter scattered across the small coffee table in Vale's living room. All three were empty and laying on their sides.

Now, it wasn't terribly hard to tell just who the perpetrator was: only one person was home at the moment, and that was Irene. The (heavily pregnant) Librarian was resting on the couch, reading a worn-out copy of The Hound of the Baskervilles and eating from yet another jar. And while she would probably end up being pissed at herself for eating all of the peanut butter-- it was a common favorite between herself, Kai, and Vale-- she didn't care. Not in the moment, at least.

The first rays of sun began streaming into the room, and soon enough she could hear the sounds of Vale waking up and getting ready for the day. And then he made his way into the front room.

Irene expected his first reaction to be to chastise her-- again, peanut butter being a favorite wasn't exactly taken lightly-- or something. But, to her amazement, he began to chuckle.

"A little hungry, Winters?"

She stuck her tongue out at him, not caring how childish it seemed. "Maybe so. What's it matter to you?"

Vale laughed a little more. "I don't necessarily mind. The housekeeper might, though."

Irene shrugged a little before continuing to eat what was left in that fourth peanut butter jar. Vale just chuckled, shaking his head a little before beginning on some paperwork.


	14. The Question

When Irene and Kai came to pick Gabe up from Vale's, their friend stopped them and made a quick apology, telling them that he was sorry. For what, they had no idea.

Well, not until the next morning, when Gabe looked up from his breakfast, making eye contact with Kai.

"Could I have a brotha? Or sista?"

Irene damn near spat out the tea that was in her mouth; instead, though, she swallowed it... Down the wrong pipe. She quickly excused herself as she began coughing loudly and multiple times in a row. Kai, on the other hand, managed to keep his composure, hardly batting an eye at the question.

"Why do you want that?"

Gabe rolled his eyes, like it was obvious or something. "Uncle Vale has brotha."

"So do I," Kai agreed, "but having brothers and sisters isn't always fun."

Being the baby of the family, and being the only one whose mother wasn't nobility... Well, Kai had had his rough days with his older brothers. But that didn't stop him from suddenly following the trail that Gabe had just started in his mind.

He loved children, especially when they were his own.

But he needed to stand firm. Irene had explicitly said that she didn't necessarily want any more children, and his four-year-old son wasn't going to cause him to try and sway Irene.

He would lose anyways, so why try?

Irene re-entered the room just then, seeming to be over her sudden coughing fit. Her face was slightly flushed, though. Kai smiled a little, putting his hand on top of hers.

"We got it all sorted out, 'Rene," he whispered, "don't you worry."

Irene smiled weakly. "Thank you."


	15. Caretaker

Vale could hear the pacing in the next room over and groaned. Yes, he had offered to let Irene stay as long as she needed-- she was pregnant, after all, and Vale knew that he could never forgive himself if something happened to either Irene or the baby because he had permitted her to stay in her home alone-- but still... Hearing her pacing was getting rather tiring.

He sat up straight, moving to join her in the sitting room.

"Winters?" he asked tiredly, "what in the world is going on?"

Irene sighed deeply, stopping to look at him. "Sorry. I just..."

"Couldn't get comfortable, missed Strongrock, and the baby was acting restless," he recited, "I know, Winters."

Of course he did. It wasn't as if it was Irene's first time doing a midnight pace. It also wasn't as if Vale was an extremely intellectual man, one who could tell many things at just one glance.

"Sorry."

Vale put his hand on her elbow, helping to guide her to the couch. "Stay here. I'll put some tea on, and then we can talk if you want."

Irene sat and Vale left to make the tea. A few minutes later he came back, carrying two saucers. Irene smiled gratefully at him, reaching to take one of them from him.

"Thank you," she said softly, gently blowing on it, "it means a lot to m--"

Vale raised an eyebrow as she trailed off, her eyes suddenly getting glassy with unshed tears.

"What?" he asked, "is something the matter, Winters?"

She shook her head. "No; everything is perfect. It's just... It sounds petty, I know, but you made it just how I like it."

Vale chuckled a little. His skills came in handy in that case, as did the fact that she stopped by often and was currently staying over for an undetermined amount of time.

"Thank you," she said again, her voice starting to quaver, "thanks for taking care of me, especially since Kai's gone."

"Anytime, Winters."

He knew how hard this was on her, Kai being gone while she was pregnant. He knew that she was trying her hardest to be okay with everything, and to not be too difficult of a temporary flatmate to live with. But he also knew that there would be times where something like this happened, and the dam would break.

"Vale?"

"Mmm?"

Irene gave a weak smile. "If it's not too much trouble... Could you give me a hug?"

Vale nodded, moving to sit next to his friend and wrap her in her arms. Irene rested her head on his shoulder, thinking for a moment.  
She missed Kai. She missed his face, his voice, his hugs...

And that was the fact that caused her to burst into tears.

Vale simply held onto her, not letting go or asking questions. Friends let others speak on their own time, right? Maybe.

Just maybe.


	16. Distraction

Irene frowned. "We're supposed to be working."

They both had some important paperwork to look at for the embassy, but Kai wasn't paying much attention to that. Instead, he was laying flat on his stomach on the couch, staring intently at Gabe, who was fast asleep in has cradle on the floor.

"Kai," Irene said, voice firm, "we have papers to look through. Help me out here."

Kai sat up, meeting Irene's gaze. "Sorry, 'Rene."

Irene chuckled softly. "If I had my choice, he'd be the sole center of my attention, too. But it's not my choice; I've got work to do now, and so do you."

Kai nodded. "I understand."

He cast a long glance at his young son, smiling softly to himself. Gabe was one of the best things in his life.

"Once we're done with this," Irene added, smiling at Kai, "we have plenty of free time. We can sit and stare at Gabe for as long as we'd like."

Kai grinned, moving so that he was standing right behind her. "Okay. What's up first?"


	17. Manifestation

The first sign showed itself when Gabe was only a day old. Heaven forbid, Vale had stepped out for a little while and Irene had decided to allow herself some rest.

Apparently, five minutes was long enough for Gabe to get frustrated at something or other. Unfortunately, Vale had left a glass of water on the coffee table, right next to the paperwork that he had to study for Inspector Singh. Gabe had his father's affinity towards the element of water, and this was the perfect target for an unreasonably frustrated half-dragon who was far too young to be able to hone his abilities.

When Vale re-entered the room, his eyes widened as he stared at the young infant, laying down in his cradle. Gabe stared back up at Vale with wide, curious eyes.

Vale studied the baby and the drenched papers, trying to figure out just how he had done it.

"Winters?" he called out, "you might want to... Look into this."

"What is it?" she asked, sleepily exiting the guest room and going into the living room, "is he hungry? Or..."

Irene stopped in her tracks, taking in the sight before her. She then put a hand to her mouth, stifling a loud laugh.

"Oh my god... What happened here?"

Vale groaned. "I left the room for a few minutes, only returning to this."

"Are you saying that Gabe did this?"

"You need to remember that you're not his only parent, Winters," Vale gently reminded her, helping her to sit on the couch near the baby, "he is half Strongrock, after all."

Irene sighed a little, scooping her son into her arms. "We've got a lot to learn about you, huh, bud?"

Gabe just gurgled in response. Irene laughed a little, gently kissing his forehead.

"I can't wait."


	18. Comforting Gabe

All that Kai could do was stare.

Irene had just went off to go to sleep-- she needed it, though she was loathe to admit the fact-- and left Kai with their son in the living room. Kai could hardly believe his eyes as he gazed at the baby, though he had already been aware of Gabe's existence for a whole day now.

It was weird to look at Gabe and to think that he was a father, that the small baby boy was his son. He had been gone for a few months, and when he came home... He came home not only to the woman he loved and his best friend; he also came home to the son that he was unaware of up until that point.

Kai loved him, though. More than just about anything else in every world. He loved getting to look at him intently for hours on end.

As Kai gazed at Gabe, though, the baby's face suddenly scrunched up.

Kai wasn't that experienced with young children, but he could sense frustration and a general feeling of being slightly upset coming from Gabe. He was about to cry.

Kai reached down to take his son into his arms, holding him close to his chest. "Hey. It's okay. I've got you. Your papa's got you."

Gabe looked at Kai, his little face going slightly less scrunched-up. He was curious.

And then he sneezed.

Kai had to chuckle a little; something about small animals and people making such loud sounds whenever they sneezed got to him.

Gabe, however, did not find this humorous. His face scrunched up yet again, and this time he actually started crying.

Kai frowned, quickly beginning to bounce the infant up and down in his arms. Irene was resting; the last thing that she needed was to be woken up by a fussing baby.

"Hey," he whispered, "hey. Shh. It's okay. You don't need to cry."

He lifted Gabe up so that he was resting on his shoulder. Gabe calmed down a little, the wails slowly becoming whimpers as he found comfort in the crook of his father's neck. His tiny hand found purchase at the neck of Kai's shirt.

Kai smiled softly, glad that he had finally gotten Gabe to calm down.

"I love you, Gabe," he whispered softly, "both you and your mother... You two are the best things in my life. I would never trade that for anything, and I will protect the both of you with my life. No matter what."

He didn't need to have something binding, such as Fae magic or the Language in order to know that he had just made a promise that he would keep.


	19. Meeting Gabe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raziel and Liu Xiang meet Gabe.

Irene and Kai had just gotten Gabe to fall asleep when there was a loud knock at the door. But, while it was loud and impatient, she knew one thing for certain: it wasn't Vale. Vale's knocks were more spread apart. This was all in quick succession: knock-knock-knock.

Irene groaned. She could only imagine that it was some Librarian coming for help from the Librarian-in-Residence, since she had left her address in the packet that she had assembled so long ago. She should've told Charlotte to change it up a little, at least until she got back from her leave.

Or maybe she and/or Kai were in trouble for something. It wasn't like they didn't have a past that could easily catch up with them.

Kai was already halfway to the door when Irene realized that he was going to answer the door.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, "can't we just get some rest?"

Kai frowned, looking at her. "It could be a Librarian, needing your help."

Damn. He'd had that thought, too.

"Or it could be an enemy," she countered quickly, "someone who's out to get us."

Kai rolled his eyes slightly. "I'll take my chances."

Knock-knock-knock.

Gabe started crying loudly from the nursery. Irene sighed, standing up to get him as Kai got the door.

She was not expecting to walk back into the living room to find Kai standing there with both her parents.

"Mother," she said quietly, "Father."

This was more than awkward. It had been years since Irene had last seen her parents, especially for an extended amount of time. They had all been within the general vicinity of each other years ago, with the peace conference in Paris, but even then they didn't see each other. And now, they were in Irene's home. The one that she shared with Kai and their son. Not only was she "living in sin," as Vale often chided, but she was living with a dragon. A big no-no in Library society.

How was she supposed to start even the simplest conversation with them?

(This got Irene to thinking: she hoped that Gabe would never have to feel that way about her and Kai. Never).

Kai glanced at Irene, looking rather curious and confused. Irene could read that gaze like a book: They're your parents; why can't you talk to them?

Irene shook her head a little, trying to clear her mind of all awkwardness. These were her parents, and it shouldn't be that hard for her to interact with them.

"Please, have a seat," she finally said, "it's been a while."

Liu Xiang cast his gaze at Gabe, quiet and content in his mother's arms. "I can see."

Irene sighed. It had taken a little longer to get around to Gabe than she had initially expected, but that didn't necessarily mean that she was prepared for the moment.

Then again, she reminded herself, I wasn't necessarily prepared to tell Kai, either...

"Mother, Father," she said, quickly recovering, "this is Gabriel Alabaster Strongrock-Winters."

Raziel leaned forward, studying what she could of the boy. "May I hold him, Irene?"

Irene reluctantly handed her son over to her mother, who looked absolutely eager to hold him in her arms. Liu Xiang kept his sharp gaze trained on Kai. Kai cowered slightly, unused to the sheer amount of intensity that was in Irene's father's eyes. He knew what the man was probably thinking. After all, if he were in Liu Xiang's place, he would probably already be freaking out. Big time.

Thankfully, the older Librarian seemed to know how to control his temper, retaining it to just the intense glare.

"Were you ever going to tell us?" Liu Xiang asked finally, the question directed at Irene though he was still focused on Kai, "there were no e-mails. No visits. In fact, if Coppelia hadn't clued us in that there might be good reason for us to visit, we may not have even come."

Irene's immediate response was childish, and petty. But it was her strongest comeback, at least at the moment. Before she could think it through, she blurted:

"Were you ever going to tell me that I was adopted?"

Both of her parents went slack-jawed at that. It wasn't necessarily the fact that she knew-- Irene was a Librarian, after all, and had countless means of getting the information that she was after-- but rather, the fact that she had chosen to use this moment to address the fact.

"Oh, god," Irene muttered after a moment of absolute stunned silence, "I... I am so sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up like that."

Liu Xiang frowned. "How did you find that out?"

Irene couldn't just say "Alberich." Her parents probably knew of her encounters with the Library's enemy, but that never necessarily meant that she was supposed to just tell her parents about the experiences.

"Melusine told me for certain," Irene hedged after a moment, "it's in my Library records. But before that... I had a seed of doubt planted in my mind."

"By whom?"

Irene swallowed back. "Alberich."

Raziel froze, holding Gabe slightly aloft in the air.

"Alberich?" she asked, "he told you?"

"Somewhat," she said, "it was more of something that he strongly implied, leaving the rest for my mind to fill in."

And think and worry over for several weeks.

Gabe began coughing, and Raziel returned her attention to her grandson, beginning to gently bounce him up and down and cooing at him. Even Liu Xiang seemed mildly intrigued by the young boy now.

Kai went up to Irene in that moment and gently put an arm around her waist, allowing her to lean into him a little. She smiled up at him before returning to watching her parents and her son. Her whole family was in one room together; she knew she had to treasure the moment as she was in it.

And that was exactly what she was going to do.


	20. Awkward

"Daddy?"  
Kai looked down at his five-year-old son, who was sitting on the floor in the midst of several books. He'd have to help clean that up later; while it made Irene proud that their son was a bookish young fellow, that didn't mean that she was more tolerant about messes. Especially messes consisting of books all over the floor.  
"Yes?" Kai asked.  
"Where do babies come from?"  
And all of a sudden, Kai wished that Irene was there. He knew that she'd be able to handle this awkward situation with far more grace and dignity than he could. Which was fairly ironic, since Kai had never necessarily been shy about these sort of matters before.  
"I... The storks."  
Gabe looked up at his father, raising a curious eyebrow. "Stork?"  
"A big bird," Kai explained hurriedly, "they bring mommies and daddies small babies to take care of and love."  
"So... Stork brought me?"  
"... Yes."  
Thankfully, Gabe didn't question it. He just shrugged his shoulders and returned to his reading.  
\---  
Later that evening, when Irene had arrived and Gabe was fast asleep, Kai explained what had gone down earlier that day.  
"He asked you where babies come from?!" Irene exclaimed, "oh my god... What the hell did you say to him?"  
Kai wrung his hands together, somewhat nervously. "The storks."  
Irene busted up laughing. "Oh my god... Storks?! Kai..."  
"What?"  
She kissed his cheek. "You are a dork."  
"Maybe I am," he conceded, "but I'm your dork."  
"That you are," she murmured, "that you are."


End file.
